I finally succumbed and bought a Kindle – the latest ever-so-nifty Kindle Touch. Love. Love. Love. Which means some coddling is in order. Definitely. Like a padded sleeve (or two or . . . . )
A word of warning: I made my sleeves to be a nice snug fit for the Kindle Touch. If you have another ereader, you will need to change the dimensions.
The first sleeve I made, I created a flap. Then I switched over to using just a little strip of elastic and a button at the top. I actually liked that better since the Kindle still seemed secure but was easier to slide in and out. (Just so you know).
Supplies and Cutting Directions:
Front fabric:
- top piece: 2 1/2" by 6 1/8"
- bottom piece: 6" by 6 1/8"
Back fabric: one piece 6 1/8" by 8"
Lining fabric: two pieces 5 7/8" by 7 3/4"
Applique: scraps
Batting: two pieces 6 1/2" by 8 1/2"
Fusible fleece: two pieces 5 1/4" by 7 1/4"
Thin elastic (I used 1/8") – 2 3/4" length
decorative button
Assembly
1. Join the top and bottom front pieces.
2. Place the front and back pieces over batting and loosely quilt. After quilting, trim the excess batting away.
3. For the applique: fuse Steam-a-Seam or other fusible product to the back of your chosen fabric and run through the GO! Happily, there are a lot of dies that will work with this size project. In these directions, I am using the Rose of Sharon die.
After creating your fused applique shapes, center them on the bottom section of the sleeve front.
4. After fusing, stitch down the raw edges.
5. Center a button at the top of the sleeve. You can decide how far down you want the button to go. I placed mine fairly close to the top, making sure to account for the quarter inch seam allowance. (If you decide to place your button lower, be sure to add length to the elastic).
6. Take your piece of elastic, fold it in half, and stitch it down at the top center of the back piece.
7. Place the front and back right sides together and sew the side and bottom edges. Trim the bottom corners after sewing.
8. Turn the sleeve right side out. Be sure to poke out the corners and press.
9. Iron the fusible fleece on to the wrong sides of the lining fabric, leaving a quarter inch surrounding all four edges of the fleece.
10. Join the lining pieces right sides together and sew the side and bottom edges – leave a three inch gap along the bottom unsewn (to turn the sleeve inside out in a later step). Once again, after sewing, trim the bottom corners just as you did with the outer fabrics.
11. Place the outer sleeve inside the lining so that the right sides are together. Match the side seams. Pin and sew a quarter inch seam along the top.
12. Turn right side out through the opening at the bottom of the lining.
13. Sew the opening in the lining closed.
14. Tuck the lining inside the bag and top stitch along the upper edge of the bag.
Now, how cute is that?
Here are a couple versions that use the GO! bird die. I love how cheeky that little bird looks!
How about the GO! puppy die? The flap uses a velcro closure with a vintage button for decoration. (In case you are interested in making the flap: if you make the length 3 1/4", it will reach to the seam that joins the top and bottom pieces. I cut my flap 3 1/4" by 4" and trimmed off the bottom corners at a 30 degree angle).
And, of course, you can forego the applique entirely and just use really pretty fabric!
These little sleeves are meant for when my wee Kindle is hanging out at home. I’m planning another version that encloses it entirely for when it leaves the house with me. Next week.
Meanwhile, all these versions were to offer ideas on how to use the GO! dies with these. I don’t actually need this many, so I’m going to be posting my extras a little later this week on Etsy – just in case any one would prefer to just buy one and be done with it!
